Adult Crowdfunding Platforms?

[MallOfErotica]

Hi all,

I've been spending a significant amount of my spare time over the past two years working on an indie erotic sci-fi/fantasy comic book series (Omega City Stories). To build a fan base I funded and gave away 3 of our first 4short (around 20 pages) comics.

I was then hoping to pursue crowdfunding to fund a full-length (around 40+ pages) comic. I know that most mainstream sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are hostile to adult comics, but then I found offbeatr.com which seemed perfect and had a lot of successful projects. I signed up and pitched my project this past weekend, only to find out today that they're shutting down the site this Friday (February 5th, 2016). Attempts to find other adult-friendly crowdfunding sites have only led me to gogofantasy.com and adultxfunding.com, both of which appear to be inactive.

So my question is, does anyone know of an active and legit crowdfunding site that allows adult projects?

For the record, my comic doesn't have explicit sexual content; the storyline is about a corrupt city mayor who teams up with two reluctant superheroines to try and capture a rogue robin hood-like vigilante who likes to strip and tie up the corrupt rich and leave them for the press to find. So there'd be nudity and light bondage and that'd be it. I did attempt to crowdfund it on Kickstarter back in 2014 (yes, Kickstarter approved it), but a lack of fan base and some bad things that happened in my life right then prevented me from effectively marketing it.

Thanks in advance,

NiCheng

[j3rkules]

adultxfunding.com.

[Nigouki]

Depending on how hardcore you plan on going Kickstarter has recently been allowing adult content such as Hentai to be crowdfunded through their platform. Since you say it's already been approved there I would suggest trying again, as Kickstarter is going to be your most trusted crowdfunding source for people.

I've had personal luck with Indiegogo as well.

[MallOfErotica]

Thanks for the replies. @jerkules, I looked into adultxfunding.com but their website has next to no information regarding what they are or how it works, there are no articles about them newer than 2012, and their LinkedIn account (while updated as recently as a few days ago) seems to imply that they still haven't launched their site yet.

And yes, I may have to go the Kickstarter/Indiegogo route. My concern is that I don't have a large enough fanbase to attract funders, and most of the people at kickstarter/indiegogo aren't there for porn/erotica. The good aspect of offbeatr was that everyone there was there for porn and there'd be a greater chance of attracting people genuinely interested in my comic.

Now that offbeatr is gone it seems there's a bit of a void in regards to crowdfunding adult projects. I'm an awesome web developer who could do a much better job at the UI/UX than offbeatr did. If there's anyone out there with the merchant account that could work with a crowdfunding site like that, I'd be totally down for collaboration.

[celandina]

Originally Posted by jerkules

adultxfunding.com.

Sorry Jercules, looks too scammy for me

I do not believe anybody raised anything, but 100s ( if not 1000s) paid for their GOLD membership... unless I hear otherwise, they should go and

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by celandina

Sorry Jercules, looks too scammy for me

I do not believe anybody raised anything, but 100s ( if not 1000s) paid for their GOLD membership... unless I hear otherwise, they should go and

I actually emailed adultxfunding them for more info (since their LinkedIn page made them look like they were active), specially asking them what their content restrictions were and when they were planning on going live. This was their response:

Many thanks for your email and interest in adultXfunding.com . It is true that we have been working on bring crowdfunding to the global adult entertainment industry for a while did come up against a few situations which meant we held back on launching the site. These have now been worked through, and the changes we have made with a new improved platform, the changes in the UK financial sectors and the US Jobs Act means we are now moving forward again.

We are starting with the launch of phase one, reward crowdfunding. To be one of the first on the platform when it goes live and maximise the exposure your project will receive we urge you to start preparing all the information you will need to complete the online pitch form. Then you can upload this along with your company logo, investor video (if available) and rewards being offered. You can also enhance your project pitch by including detailed information about your goals and experiences. If the project will be producing an end product then please include a summaries of a business plan and operational and financial projections.

On your pitch page you outline your company and the project, where you are so far, your plans and the key people involved. This is where you can really sell the project and yourself and show why the investors should pledge their gifting capital with your project.

With the rewards you will be offering we recommend that you limit it to four or five key reward levels (if applicable) depending on the amount pledged or the product and services produced. You are also able to limit the number of rewards available within each pledge band.

Please feel free to send us in advance your company/project pitch information and reward offers for us to pre approve.

If you have any questions in the meantime, however, please do not hesitate to contact us and we look forward to welcoming you to adultXfunding.com and working with you to help make your dreams a reality.

Regards

AXF Team

I agree with celandina; it looks too scammy.

[LushBoobs]

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

Thanks for the replies. @jerkules, I looked into adultxfunding.com but their website has next to no information regarding what they are or how it works, there are no articles about them newer than 2012, and their LinkedIn account (while updated as recently as a few days ago) seems to imply that they still haven't launched their site yet.

And yes, I may have to go the Kickstarter/Indiegogo route. My concern is that I don't have a large enough fanbase to attract funders, and most of the people at kickstarter/indiegogo aren't there for porn/erotica. The good aspect of offbeatr was that everyone there was there for porn and there'd be a greater chance of attracting people genuinely interested in my comic.

Now that offbeatr is gone it seems there's a bit of a void in regards to crowdfunding adult projects. I'm an awesome web developer who could do a much better job at the UI/UX than offbeatr did. If there's anyone out there with the merchant account that could work with a crowdfunding site like that, I'd be totally down for collaboration.

we should talk. [email protected]

[JasonCollins]

Good luck with this!

We have rejected adult crowdfunding sites in the past because the platform and/or conditions were not well written. One of the biggest drawbacks to many of these platforms is, what happens to the cash if the project does not reach its goal? A lot of them surprisingly think that they still keep the cash leaving the investors without a product. This will turn into a chargeback magnet in no time.

[celandina]

Originally Posted by JasonCollins

Good luck with this!

We have rejected adult crowdfunding sites in the past because the platform and/or conditions were not well written. One of the biggest drawbacks to many of these platforms is, what happens to the cash if the project does not reach its goal? A lot of them surprisingly think that they still keep the cash leaving the investors without a product. This will turn into a chargeback magnet in no time.

It may be a reasonable business BUT: unlike Kickstarter ( you should look at ) nobody wants credit on a porn clip any more then a "case of clap" ... That is a problem #1)...

Problem # 2) is likely the owners of the site are too porny and not reputable

So, if you figure what would be the rewards for the contributors... ( or ask me ) then somebody like Verotel would be a perfect group to run it. My advice Verotel should jump on it before somebodybelse will....

There already exist a precedent ( its clalled "custom" projects)... This just would need a refindment. Trust me I am lookingbat this option with a private banking group already but do not trust them that much...." Beware Greeks bearing gifts" type of thing.

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by JasonCollins

Good luck with this!

We have rejected adult crowdfunding sites in the past because the platform and/or conditions were not well written. One of the biggest drawbacks to many of these platforms is, what happens to the cash if the project does not reach its goal? A lot of them surprisingly think that they still keep the cash leaving the investors without a product. This will turn into a chargeback magnet in no time.

I haven't had an opportunity to experiment with recurring payments in this way (to see if it would actually work), but this is how I would handle it:

1. You specify the length of the crowdfunding period (30 days, 45 days, etc.)
2. When a supporter "pays", the system sets up a recurring payment to happen only once, and sets the first payment date at [the length of the crowdfunding period] + 1 days
3. When the crowdfunding period ends, if the goal wasn't achieved, you cancel the recurring payments before they happen the following day
4. If the goal is achieved, allow the "one time recurring" payments to happen the following day. Sure, a few cards might have expired or maxed out in the interval, but the project is likely to get most of its funding

I might also follow Offbeatr's lead and take a small, non-refundable project registration fee to discourage scammers or people who aren't serious about producing the end product.

The rest is just window dressing and UI/UX.

[NickBaer]

I need about $100 more per day for my upcoming trip to Prague. I wanted to stop first in Dublin for the International Gay Theatre Festival, but the lodging rates there are so out of the world!

I still would rather just sell $100 more DVDs, VODs on AEBN, HotMovies or XTube, or Chaturbate subscriptions.

Then I wouldn't have to be beholden to crowdfunding platforms, or donors who think they own a piece.

[PirrTaste]

I don't know if this will help you or not but there is a plugin you can use to receive donations directly to your website vs. going through someone else.

Its called "givewp" ( I can't post links yet sorry)

I used it for a few non adult fundraisers I did but they don't have any stipulations on what type of business can use their service.

[NickBaer]

What I hate about the popular crowdfunding sites, is that they want YOU to send traffic to your listing!!

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by PirrTaste

I don't know if this will help you or not but there is a plugin you can use to receive donations directly to your website vs. going through someone else.

Its called "givewp" ( I can't post links yet sorry)

I used it for a few non adult fundraisers I did but they don't have any stipulations on what type of business can use their service.

I checked it out, as a plugin for WP all they support is integration with payment providers (like Stripe, PayPal, etc.) and they'll be the ones with the restrictions on adult content.

As a developer I could easily write my own crowdfunding website; it's finding a payment provider that doesn't have a billion vague restrictions that seems to be my Achilles heel.

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by NickBaer

What I hate about the popular crowdfunding sites, is that they want YOU to send traffic to your listing!!

I understand your frustration but you have to understand where they're coming from.

I'm in the similar situation as the crowdfunding sites with my site, Mall of Erotica, where any adult provider can open up a shop and start selling their electronic erotica. I have shops selling all sorts of different file types (ebooks, videos, photosets, etc.) covering a wide range of fetishes. As the owner of MoE, how do I go about promoting just one person's content to drive traffic to their shop? I might not even have a customer base interested in their particular fetish.

While I do promote where I can (via FB and Twitter), the most successful shops on MoE have been the ones where the shopkeeper promotes their own shop to their customer base; after all, they understand their customers the best.

[PorcoRosso]

Indiegogo & Patreon allow porn *to a certain extent*.
Don't know the limits of that extent ;).

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

I understand your frustration but you have to understand where they're coming from.

I'm in the similar situation as the crowdfunding sites with my site, Mall of Erotica, where any adult provider can open up a shop and start selling their electronic erotica. I have shops selling all sorts of different file types (ebooks, videos, photosets, etc.) covering a wide range of fetishes. As the owner of MoE, how do I go about promoting just one person's content to drive traffic to their shop? I might not even have a customer base interested in their particular fetish.

While I do promote where I can (via FB and Twitter), the most successful shops on MoE have been the ones where the shopkeeper promotes their own shop to their customer base; after all, they understand their customers the best.

That's totally true.
At the same time, they take +/- 5% of the funded sums... which is close to the feeds you'd get if you'd be doing a donation campaign via Paypal... so imo the deal is quite fair.

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by BroyT

At the same time, they take +/- 5% of the funded sums... which is close to the feeds you'd get if you'd be doing a donation campaign via Paypal... so imo the deal is quite fair.

Can you run a donation campaign via PayPal if you're making adult content?

[PorcoRosso]

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

Can you run a donation campaign via PayPal if you're making adult content?

Never tried.
But since Paypal does not like porn... I'd say you can't.

Maybe other payment processors have systems of the kind to offer?

[celandina]

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

Can you run a donation campaign via PayPal if you're making adult content?

You can until somebody reports you and then you are fucked... It states in their TOS no " donation for porn"

[INever]

How is STRIPE in this regard? If one runs a sexually oriented fundraise...

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by INever

How is STRIPE in this regard? If one runs a sexually oriented fundraise...

Stripe's Prohibited Businesses do not allow "Sexually-oriented or pornographic products or services" (number 4 in the list).

That's really unfortunate because Stripe has an awesome payment gateway interface that I've used for non-adult projects.

[MallOfErotica]

It's been a few years since I started this discussion and I was wondering if anything had changed since? Anyone out there know of an adult crowdfunding platform that works? Any of you payment providers that could potentially be a provider for such a project?

[LushBoobs]

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

Hi all,

I've been spending a significant amount of my spare time over the past two years working on an indie erotic sci-fi/fantasy comic book series (Omega City Stories). To build a fan base I funded and gave away 3 of our first 4short (around 20 pages) comics.

I was then hoping to pursue crowdfunding to fund a full-length (around 40+ pages) comic. I know that most mainstream sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are hostile to adult comics, but then I found offbeatr.com which seemed perfect and had a lot of successful projects. I signed up and pitched my project this past weekend, only to find out today that they're shutting down the site this Friday (February 5th, 2016). Attempts to find other adult-friendly crowdfunding sites have only led me to gogofantasy.com and adultxfunding.com, both of which appear to be inactive.

So my question is, does anyone know of an active and legit crowdfunding site that allows adult projects?

For the record, my comic doesn't have explicit sexual content; the storyline is about a corrupt city mayor who teams up with two reluctant superheroines to try and capture a rogue robin hood-like vigilante who likes to strip and tie up the corrupt rich and leave them for the press to find. So there'd be nudity and light bondage and that'd be it. I did attempt to crowdfund it on Kickstarter back in 2014 (yes, Kickstarter approved it), but a lack of fan base and some bad things that happened in my life right then prevented me from effectively marketing it.

Thanks in advance,

NiCheng

why not just use Patreon?

[MallOfErotica]

Originally Posted by LushBoobs

why not just use Patreon?

Because Patreon is best for frequent content creators with an audience. If you want to create a one-off project or you have restrictions with respect to how frequently you can generate content then it's not the right platform for you.

[PorcoRosso]

Originally Posted by MallOfErotica

It's been a few years since I started this discussion and I was wondering if anything had changed since? Anyone out there know of an adult crowdfunding platform that works? Any of you payment providers that could potentially be a provider for such a project?

Since then Mindgeek experimented on a crowdfunding platform for adult games, Kimochi, it unfortunately did not last :
https://www.kotaku.co.uk/2017/02/09/...y-for-18-games.

Then our colleagues from "studiofow" got kicked out from Patreon (their content might have been judged more hardcore than hardcore... because of gore and beasts... not sure there...), and managed to raise an impressive sum on Kickstarter for their porn 3D game "subverse"
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-kickstarte...llion-dollars/


So a few news could be that :
- a platform opened and closed
- Patreon seems stable and apparently makes growing good business with adult content
- Kickstarter can sometimes accept adult campaigns... well at least for one game it happened ;)